The weather had been cold and rainy (winter moving in early, this fall?) but by the day of the concert, Portland Oregon boasted impossibly clear skies. It was a gorgeous Indian Summer afternoon, sunny and warm for this outdoor concert: JOE SATRIANI and the G3 tour, featuring guest guitarists Robert Fripp, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Steve Vai.

The beauteous tones of Robert Fripp on guitar washed over us while we waited on line. There were three of us in the group: me, my husband Lindsay, and Randy - a guy he'd met while on assignment. After we'd located our seats in the second wave of chairs (section G) Lindsay said, come with me. I followed him up front to the expensive seats. He sat down in an empty chair, leaving an empty seat on the center aisle for me, but I was not about to plop down there where I didn't belong. I turned on my heel and walked back to the seat I'd purchased and was happy- to- get- thank- you- very- much.

Back in section G, Randy and I chatted while Fripp played. This was an enjoyable beginning: live "background" music was a stroke of genius. After a time I recognized (from the G3 video) a bright green guitar being handled on stage, and sure enough, under that green and purple leprechaun hat was Mike Keneally jammin' with Fripp. At one point MK hit a startling sound on his guitar and I jumped six inches. Eventually MK left the stage. Fripp continued to play until it was "showtime". His music left me feeling relaxed and mellow.

The skies were clear blue, and radiant. The warm sun was still blazing at 5:15 when Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his band took the stage ... (next page, see links below)